This disclosure relates to absorbent sanitary products. More particularly, this disclosure relates to refastenable absorbent sanitary products that can be worn like pants.
Over the last few years, there has emerged interest in diapers of the type commonly referred to as “training pants”. When such a product is taken out of the pack, it has already a conformation that substantially resembles that of the pair of pants. It is put on by sliding it over the legs of the user according to criteria basically similar to the ones adopted for putting on pants.
A training pant typically includes a central body or chassis that contains an absorbent core which is designed to absorb the body fluids evacuated by the wearer. Side panels extend laterally from the chassis so as to complete the pant-like configuration of the product. The side panels are provided with homologous distal edges designed to be connected (pre-fastened) to one another to form lateral closure regions. In the most recent products the pre-fastened closure regions are intended to be refastenable, thus permitting the product—which is sold in a pre-fastened, closed pant-like condition—to be selectively opened at either side in order to check e.g. whether the product is soiled.
Documents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,761,711; 6,849,067; 6,645,190; or 7,534,237 are exemplary of arrangements of refastenable side closures.
Various patent documents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,514,187; 7,322,925; 7,335,150; 7,387,148 or EP-A-1 289 465, EP-A-2 289 466, or EP-A1 284 700 are exemplary of processes and apparatus which may be applied to manufacturing products with refastenable side closures.
Despite the effectiveness of the results obtained, the various arrangements considered in the foregoing have an intrinsic disadvantage in that the associated manufacturing processes and apparatus are inevitably complex, expensive and exposed to criticalities in terms of reliability.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a solution dispensing with one of more or all of these drawbacks while leading to product structure retaining the advantages discussed in the foregoing. The claims are an integral part of the disclosure of the invention as provided herein.